The offering of premiums in order to influence potential customers to obtain a product offering has been used for many years. A wide variety of goods and services have been offered as premiums. It is desirable to offer a premium having various levels of upgradeability, so that the business can encourage the customer to purchase. For example, a premium may be offered to a customer if the customer agrees to try the product for a specified period of time. Even if the customer does not agree to purchase the product, the customer is allowed to retain the premium. To further encourage the customer to purchase the product, it may be advantageous to further offer an upgrade to the premium. Various levels of upgrades for the premium are desirable so as to provide the seller with additional leverage to close the sale and/or encourage the customer to purchase still additional products.
However, lamps have typically not been used in this fashion as they are typically unitary in nature and not upgradeable. Different lamps may be used, however, being able to provide additional elements or versatility to a light fixture has typically been very difficult.
Light fixtures, whether floor mounted, desks mounted or having clamp-type assemblies have been known for many years. However, typically if a user wants a floor lamp he/she must specifically obtain a floor lamp, which may only be used in that application. Alternatively, if the user then wants a desk lamp, he/she must obtain a desk lamp in addition to the floor lamp. The same is true with clamp-type designs.
This disadvantageously means that the user cannot use a lamp for more than one application requiring the user to obtain numerous light fixture assemblies. One answer to this problem is retrofit kits enabling a user to modify the original lamp from one configuration to another. However, these typically produce an inferior product and once changed, cannot be subsequently changed back. Another problem with these retrofit kits is that the user has to go out and obtain the kit. In addition, while the original lamp assembly may have a UL listing, the altered lamp assembly is no longer UL listed, meaning that the configuration has not been approved as a safe assembly. This does not provide piece of mind to the user and in some circumstances, such as in public facilities and applications, non-UL listed equipment cannot be used.
Many light fixtures offered for sale include assembly directions and may provide for various assembly options according to the user's preferences. However, while some flexibility may be provided with these fixtures, the option to freely select from among many various lamp configurations is not provided for. Additionally, typically the assembly options are again one-way type options that do not allow for subsequent alteration of the selected assembly.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,361 to Huang (“the '361 patent”) is directed toward a lamp frame assembly that can be set up as a desk lamp or floor lamp or a wall fixture. However, the '361 patent teaches use of two rigid arm sections that may be bent to adjust the location of the light fixture head. This is disadvantageous because the rigid arm sections require a relatively large amount of space to swing the cantilevered arms, such that, the light fixture cannot be positioned close to, for example, a wall or bookshelf. Additionally, the '361 patent fails to disclose or teach that all of the parts and pieces required for the various configurations are provided in a single packaged offering or that the system is re-configurable after initial configuration. Still further, the '361 patent is not a fluorescent light fixture as there is no ballast provided, as there is no place to locate a ballast on the fixture.
Accordingly what is desired then is a light fixture assembly kit, which may be provided as a premium to a customer, allowing for various upgrades that provide additional versatility or configurations to be provided to the customer as an incentive offering.
It is further desired to provide a light fixture assembly kit, provided as a single packed unit, which allows the user to freely select from among various light fixture assembly configurations.
It is still further desired to provide a light fixture assembly kit, which allows the user to freely re-select from among various lamp assembly configurations, even after the user has originally selected an initial assembly configuration.
It is still further desired to provide a light fixture assembly kit, which provides for at least tree assembly configurations and provided in one package, such that, the user does not have to obtain additional kits or options in order to configure the light fixture assembly as desired.